


You make me wanna try

by nonielb



Category: RWBY
Genre: Blake POV, F/F, I don't know what to tag this, My shot on their reencounter i guess, POV Third Person, and poor Blake is still confused af, and they talk, but maybe not so much anymore at the end, spoilers of everything that happened until episode 4x10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-20 11:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9489815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonielb/pseuds/nonielb
Summary: She's always loved their slight height difference. Not that it's much, Yang is just two inches taller than her, but when she thinks of it, she always gets this feeling that her head would fit perfectly in the curve where Yang's neck and shoulder met and because of that she regrets not hugging her back when they were having that conversation in an empty Beacon classroom.-----Unconsciously based on thiswonderful art by lesly-ohon tumblr.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [atstadiumstatus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/atstadiumstatus/gifts), [ratake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratake/gifts).



> I'm not a writer and I'm not even sure what I'm doing, this thing just got the best of me and when I saw it I had this thing in my hands and oops?

She's always loved their slight height difference. Not that it's much, Yang is just two inches taller than her, but when she thinks of it, she always gets this feeling that her head would fit perfectly in the curve where Yang's neck and shoulder met and because of that she regrets not hugging her back when they were having that conversation in an empty Beacon classroom.

Because even if she survives this mess she's found herself into, she's pretty sure Yang hates her now so she probably won't ever have a second chance to see if her theory is right.

Not that she blames Yang if she does hate her  – she absolutely doesn't  – but still, she can't help but feel like she really wants that second chance.

Which, if she's being honest, is really odd. She was never a very tactile person. Dust knows she was never one to seek her parents' embrace, even when she'd fall and scrape her knees and palms in the floor of the White Fang's headquarters back when Ghira was their leader.

But maybe that's the whole point of her coming back to Menagerie, right? All these feelings she has no idea where they came from, but knows they're driving her insane. She was scared out of her mind when she left Vale – after making sure a certain blonde had woken up in that tiny and empty room in Vale's hospital – and she still doesn't understand why. Why did that affect her so much? Blood isn't something she's not used to; death isn't something she's not used to; pain and hopelessness isn't something she's not used to. She was in the White Fang, for dust's sakes! She's seen it all before. She's held people she cared for in her arms while they were in the very process of dying and still she doesn't understand why the image of Yang broken body and aura, what was left of her arm bleeding on the floor of what was supposed to be their safe haven had shook her to her very core.

Every single time she's tried to make sense of that, she gets the same wave of deep guilt and pain and fear and even if months have passed, she still feels it like she did that first time when she managed to get them away from  _ him _ .

She's forced herself to believe she only feels this way because Yang was always just so full of life. Sure, Ruby may be their leader, but Yang was the one who made team RWBY work, what with her terrible puns that pretty much forced you to laugh at them because how can someone say something so ridiculous and feel so good about themselves?

Yes, Yang was reckless; she was impulsive; she was disaffected; she took what was thrown her way and rolled with it, no questions asked or explanation needed. Which, really, is just a proof that Yang Xiao Long is a living-breathing-walking personification of her semblance; but she's also smart, caring, loyal and so  _ so _ kind. She helped them in any way they might have ever needed and not once asked something in return; she made sure they were well-fed and well-rested, especially after a sparring class followed by some mean study session because of course Oobleck would ask them for a two thousand words essay due three days later; she protected them even though none of them needed protection, but not once she made them feel like they  _ needed  _ it  – not once she made them feel like they were powerless or weak without her around. It was just who she was. Their firecracker, their very own ray of sunshine with enough power to literally blow their room if she so much as sneezed next to one of Weiss' fire dust vials.

And then  _ he _ came and saw something in her eyes she looked at Yang during the battle and decided he would have to destroy that. Because of her. And she didn't even know what he saw there and why that made him so sure that the best way of destroying her was by destroying her partner. After all, he never once attempted to hurt Ghira or Kali and maybe that's because the Belladonnas were very powerful politically, but seeing as he still showed up in Beacon during its fall, she doubts he cares enough for politics to use it as an excuse for not doing what he wants.

No. Whatever he saw in her eyes that night, told him that destroying Yang would have a bigger impact on her than hurting her parents would.

When she thinks about it, she can't help but think he was a genius in a very disturbing way. Kill the Belladonnas or even Yang and she would hunt him down until she either killed him or died trying. But hurt them and he would create a walking reminder of what he can do to her – a walking reminder that  _ she _ is the reason why they were broken.

She believes she's a good liar  – even if she's not exactly proud of it. All she has to do is hide her lie-detecting cat ears behind a bow and, given how quiet she is, she can get away with any lie she wants to tell, but not even she believes the one she tells herself when saying the only reason she was so devastated by Yang's fall is because team RWBY's sunshine had lost her fire.

So she did the only thing she could think of: she ran. She left Vale, she left her team, she left her friends, people she cared about and that were just as broken if not more so than herself, seeing as Pyrrha was literally gone, and Ozpin was missing and presumably dead as well and so many of her colleagues were broken and bleeding and confused and scared, and she left them all and went back to Menagerie because she had no idea why she was so terrified.

And the tragically funny thing is: she didn't even get a chance to try and make sense of things! Sun had followed her to that boat like a creep and not once let her have a moment with her own thoughts; and when she got to her hometown, she wasn't even sure if her parents would take her back, but then they did and she needed a moment to bask in the relief of knowing she hadn't broken their trust and love and they were still her parents and would always be there for her; and after  _ that _ drama was over, Sun once again got himself in the middle of what she so desperately needed and she had to resign herself to build up the courage to seek guidance from her parents some other day.

But that day never came, because there were White Fang members in Menagerie trying to manipulate her parents and she couldn't focus on two things at once; and when she finally built the courage to talk to Ghira about Beacon – about Yang – she was interrupted again, and then Ilia showed up and hurt Sun and she was back down in a spiral of guilt because once again someone was hurt because of her; and then she left Sun with her parents so they could help him because of course  _ he _ would choose that very moment to show up to finish what he had started in Beacon and she would not give him the chance to hurt anyone else just to get to her.

In all truthfulness, by that point she was exhausted. All she wanted when she came back was to make sense of her feelings, she just wanted to understand what was happening inside her own mind. Was that too much to ask?

As soon as she felt  _ his _ presence in the island, she ran as fast as she could, trying to get as far from her family and the people of Menagerie as she could before he could reach her. She knows why he tracked her down. For the first time since choosing to betray her parents and stay in the White Fang with him, she understood what he wants: her. And if he can't have her, no one can. Not even herself.

A part of her thinks he's also exhausted of this whole situation, because he didn't let her suffer much after breaking Yang before hunting her down to end her. And she's almost thankful for it because, dust, she's exhausted. She's tired of fighting for a lost cause, she's so deeply consumed by this guilt, this fear, this loneliness; she just wants it all to stop for a second so she can breathe, so if he's willing to put an end to it all for her, she's tired of literally fighting to stop him. And maybe she won't get to the breathing part, but she's not sure she cares all that much about it anymore.

She lasted over half an hour in a battle against Fennec, Corsac and  _ him _ . A battle that would already be extremely hard for her to survive even if she wasn't so terrified of him and his damn sword – and was it always that red? – but she is. So she hadn't even touched Gambol Shroud. All she did was use her semblance and her agility and literally jumped here and there to try and escape their blows, in hopes of getting them as physically tired as she psychologic and emotionally was so she could– so she could what? She didn't even know what she was waiting for, she didn't know why she was getting them tired, she just felt like she needed to.

And it was then that she heard it, at least she thought she had heard it, but it was so faint, and no one else had reacted to the sound and they all had superior hearing abilities. Whatever she thought she heard, she was sure they would have as well. Especially if the sound was someone cocking a weapon to get ready to fire, but then again, she fought so many times side-by-side with said weapon and its owner that its sound was ingrained in her brain. She's sure she would always be able to distinguish the beautiful sound of Ember Celica anywhere, no matter the circumstances. And her thoughts were proven right a second later when Corsac received a blast right in his face, his aura visibly breaking at that. And just like that he was out.

The attack busted her cover, but Fennec was so tired that he couldn't do a single thing when Yang showed up in front of him and two punch-blasts later he joined Corsac on the ground. And the very moment Blake's mind caught up with what her eyes were seeing, her heartrate went through the roofs, her body shook with fear – not that she was afraid of Yang, because even if her partner hated her as much as she will always have the right to, she would never hurt Blake; Yang wasn't that kind of person. No. The fear that took over her body wasn't  _ of _ Yang, it was  _ for _ Yang. Because  _ he _ was there as well and she could see the effect of him being there had on Yang.

She was no fool. It's painfully obvious that Yang wouldn't be able to go back to her original self after what  _ he _ did to her, but he didn't know that. He didn't know her, no matter how much he thought he did when he saw that something in Blake's eyes when she looked at her partner.

Yang held herself tall and proud. Her demeanor relaxed to anyone who didn't know better. But Blake  _ does  _ know better, so she saw right through the mask Yang had put on. Her pupils just a bit more dilated than they should be against her red eyes – and, really, that alone would be enough a tell that she wasn't exactly calm; her shoulders just a bit stiffer than they should be; her left hand shaking just a little, even though Blake was sure her fist was clenched harder than it should if she were just holding her defensive stance. If Blake didn't know better, she would consider the way Yang was breathing hard and trying so desperately to get it back to normal like maybe she had ran there, but she does know better and, at that moment, she knew better than anyone how completely terrified Yang was. Not only because they knew each other's tale better than anyone else, but because it was all mirrored in Blake.

And if that wasn't good enough a reason for her to feel guilty and scared for her, the ray of sun reflecting on her brand new, obviously Atlas-provided, mechanic arm would have done the job just fine.

And if that wasn't enough to have her petrified, completely unable to do or say anything, the "I thought I was done with you, but if you want so badly to lose another limb, than I shall grant you that. Let's just hope you last more than a few seconds this time"  _ he _ said with a smirk clear in his features and in his voice, certainly would have done the job just fine.

And the shiver that ran down Yang's back even though she fought to hide it – but Blake saw it anyway – made it glaringly clear how much power he had over Yang's terrified mind and the only thing she wanted to do was to scream for Yang to just leave and stay as far from her – from  _ him _ – as possible, but she couldn't. She was too busy being her own version of terrified and exhausted to do anything other than watch and hope that it would all be over soon and that he would take her down after he was done with her partner.

"Big words for someone who didn't even move a muscle ever since I got here. Afraid that my new friend here" she waved her mechanic fingers and Blake caught a glimpse of what she was sure was Yang's emblem on her new forearm "is gonna leave some nasty marks on that ridiculous mask of yours?"

Blake's mind went blank at the words. Yang was  _ terrified _ and yet she was provoking him, forcing him to attack, but why? It didn't make any sense!

But when he growled before jumping towards her, she understood what Yang's plan was. Their semblances were very similar. Yang could hit twice as hard when she was hit, but still, she needed to be attacked first;  _ he _ could accumulate the hits he would take and use them in a single major blast, but he also needed to be attacked first.

Yang got the upper hand because she forced him to go to her and fuel her semblance instead of her fueling his, but he had mastered his semblance while she still used hers as a weapon instead of using it strategically. Sure, that didn't make a difference when they fought together because she had someone to have her back when she inevitably got tired and used all her aura, but one-on-one battles against smart people like him or even Neo? She was destined to fail.

So she was there, stuck in place, her aura almost completely gone, her heart ramming against her ribcage, her mind screaming at her to do something and her body not obeying, watching in awe for something she didn't think she would ever see: Yang wasn't reckless or stubborn or desperate. She was consciously avoiding hits and deciding which ones she should take so she could slowly fuel her own semblance.

She would miss some hits and make it seem like he was winning this fight, but Blake could see that she was choosing which ones to miss, never letting his blade absorb any of her shots, never letting any of his harder ones get to her.

For the first time  _ ever _ , Blake saw someone outsmart him. And, even though she was sure his aura was still intact, his body wasn't. He was tired, he couldn't keep up. He too was expecting Yang to just fling herself in this battle and give him the power he needed to defeat her again, but neither Blake nor Yang had given him something to use against them and there was only so much his body could take.

Yang was finally actively using her semblance, hitting him where it would do more damage, making sure to only attack him up close so he wouldn't be able to use Wilt to absorb anything, so he did the only smart thing to do: he took Blush and shot at Yang to force her to give him enough space to leave.

Yang stood there, her breathing hard, trying to get ahold of her mind and body, trying to force herself to calm down from the evident  – to Blake, anyway –  fear and panic, trying to steady herself. And a new powerful wave of guilt washed over her at the idea that maybe Yang believed she had to do it she couldn't count on anyone else to do that for her.

Blake has always loved their slight height difference. Not that it's much, Yang is just two inches taller than her, but right this second, with Yang taking deep breaths to calm herself down right in front of her for the first time in  _ months _ , it feels like Yang is gigantic and Blake has never felt so small.

"So you're just gonna give up?" Yang asks her, her back still turned to Blake. "That's why you left? So you could go somewhere else and just give up?"

"Yang, I–" she doesn't even know what to say. "No. That is not why I left. And I know you hate me right now, bu–"

"I don't hate you!" Yang turns around to face her and nothing could have hurt Blake more than seeing red eyes instead of that beautiful shade of lilac that, if she's being honest, she misses more than she thought she would. "But that doesn't mean I'm not pissed at you." she finishes with a sigh. And even before Blake can try to think of something to say, Yang continues, "you chose me. All those months ago in that forest,  _ you _ chose  _ me _ , Blake. You could have chosen anyone, hell, you could have let someone choose you! You could have chosen Pyrrha even though she so clearly chose Jaune, but still, you chose me.

"And yeah, I thought I would be Ruby's partner because no matter how much I enjoy poking fun of her and how much I thought she needed to get herself out there back then, she's still my baby sister, whom I swore to protect, even if I'm well aware she can take good care of herself, but part of me hoped you would choose me, or I would stumble upon you in that forest and as fate would have it, it would be taken out of my hands and I would be able to tell myself that, 'hey! I wanted to be with Ruby, but what can I do, right? Rules are rules!'

"But then you chose me. You followed be, you saw me fight those Ursa. Maybe because you wanted to see if I were strong enough to be your partner or maybe because you just wanted to see me fight and even though you knew back then that I didn't need your help with the second one, you still chose to kill it, look me in the eyes and actively choose me. So, please, tell me why did the same person who chose me decided I wasn't enough to wait for, because I can't make sense of that!"

And if Blake thought she was small before, she thinks she's minuscule now. But truth is, she can't let Yang think she isn't good enough. She would probably survive Yang hating her, but Yang thinking she's not good enough for someone? She would never be able to look herself in the mirror ever again if she ever becomes the person to put that idea in Yang's mind.

"That's not why I left either, I– I was afraid; and I was confused; and I was hurt and I had no idea  _ why _ I was feeling like that! I  _ still _ don't know. The only thing I do know is that he hurt you and it's all my fault! And being around me would only put you in more danger an–"

"That was  _ my _ choice to make, not yours!" Yang interrupts her, eyes still burning red. This isn't like that time in Beacon when Yang was so frustrated with Blake stubbornness that she got all red-eyed and told her how much she cared and how much it broke her to see Blake like that. This time Yang isn't just frustrated with her, she's also hurt, she's broken in a way that has nothing to do with what  _ he _ did to her. This is all  _ Blake _ and she can see it clearly in the way her eyes burn in her amber ones. "I understand that you felt like what happened was your fault because Adam made sure to plant this in your stubborn head!" and if his name has any effect on Yang as it does on Blake, the blonde is much better at hiding it than Blake will ever be, seeing as she flinches when she hears it falling from Yang's mouth. "He wanted you to feel guilt over this because then he would have power over you and guess what? It worked perfectly!

"But it's not your fault. It's mine and it's his. Mainly his, of course, but mine as well. I didn't think, I was so used to explode with my temper and let it burn whoever I targeted that I didn't think think before charging at him" she explains, the red in her eyes very minutely clearing and Blake can't help but hope it's soon gonna be back to the lilac she misses so much, " _ someone _ made sure to inform me about the misuse of my semblance and that got me thinking and I acted on instinct, I exploded, I charged at him and he used it against me. And you don't wanna see that because seeing it would mean he manipulated you and you can't stand the idea of not being in control of your own feelings, but get it in your head because I won't keep on repeating myself over and over again: it. Wasn't. Your. Fault."

And Blake wants to believe her. She wants to believe her so much, but she can't. Because if that's true, if  _ he _ used her like that, then that means she left her parents for nothing. It means she left  _ Yang _ for nothing. And she can't take that thought. She can't take the thought that he made her into a victim, weak and easy to manipulate, knowing exactly what buttons to press to have her doing exactly what he wants her to do.

"No, I–" she doesn't even know what to say. How can she argue with that?

"You know I'm right, Blake." and Yang's voice is a bit softer around her name and that makes Blake feel like crying, "And I know you're scared of what that means because to you, being a victim means not having any power; it means not being able to handle something, but it doesn't mean that. You're stronger than you think you are. He lied to you and he used you and that doesn't mean you're weak! You left. You left by yourself because you knew that was not what you wanted. You want equality, you want to be free and to protect the ones who are left behind or treated badly. He just doesn't like to lose, he doesn't like not having power over something. So when you left and built yourself a better life, he couldn't stand it, because you were strong without him beside you.

"And that's why it hurt me so much when you compared me to him," she raises her hand before Blake can protest like she knows she will, "I know why you did it and I don't blame you for doing it, but I won't lie and tell you it didn't hurt me. And I'm not bringing this up so I can make you feel bad. I just want you to understand my feelings, because I really,  _ really _ wanna understand yours. Talk to me, Blake. Tell me why you left. Tell me why you did that like it was the easiest thing for you to do and I promise you I will leave you alone if that's what you want from me, but I need to understand why!" and what she hears next breaks her heart so much that doesn't even think it will ever mend itself again, "I need to understand why everyone keeps leaving me." Yang says in a voice so small that even though Blake feels like Yang is the strongest person she's ever met, right this second all she sees is the little girl Yang once was, with her baby sister sitting in a wagon while she desperately and recklessly searched for a mother who never deserved her.

Blake always gets this feeling that her head would fit perfectly in the curve where Yang's neck and shoulder meet and because of that she regrets not hugging her back when they were having that conversation in an empty Beacon classroom, so she decides not to waste the second chance fate throws her way and hugs her, her arms around her waist and, yeah, her head does fit perfectly in the curve where Yang's neck and shoulder meet.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so,  _ so _ sorry." she whispers, her breath warm in Yang's neck and, even though Yang doesn't hug her back, she also doesn't step away from it, so Blake counts it as a victory and doesn't let go. "Please don't think leaving Vale, leaving   _ you _ was easy because it was the single most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. Not even leaving the White Fang was this hard and that scared me, Yang. It scared me to death because I had no idea what it meant. And it still does and I still don't. All I know is that he broke you and it was all my fault and the thought of you being broken made me sick to my stomach, but knowing that it was my fault made it all worse because... Because..." and she can't finish her sentence, because the words that appeared in her mind can't be right, can they? She doesn't even know what they are  _ supposed _ to mean, because now her head is all confused and she's not sure if the previous definition she's had for these words are a complete blur now because  _ he _ was the one how taught her what they were supposed to mean and now she's not even sure if he knows that in the first place. She's just so confused she's not sure she should say something like that when nothing makes sense.

Yang puts her hands on her shoulders, putting some space between their bodies and she can't look at her because she's sure she'll tell her to never touch her again so she looks down to their feet. And she doesn't mean to flinch when she feels the light touch of metal to her chin, but it takes her off guard and Yang immediately stops.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomf–"

"No! It's not that, it's just... cold. I'm sorry, it just took me off guard, you didn't make me uncomfortable," she explains as fast as she can so that Yang doesn't even have the time to feel self conscious about the new limb. But then Blake's looking at her again and her mind goes back to what she was thinking before, so she quickly turns to look at the ground again. And this time, when Yang touches her chin with the same mechanic fingers, she doesn't flinch. Her touch is light, caring and even though she's raising Blake's face back to look at her now beautifully lilac eyes, she doesn't force Blake at any moment. "I came back home because I needed to think." she says as soon as their eyes meet, fueled by the softness she finds there, "I needed to get my thoughts back, I needed to understand and I couldn't do that in Vale because then I would be too worried about you and too scared of you hating me and too consumed by guilt and I would probably get to all the wrong conclusions.

"And, I'm not gonna lie, I really think you would be better off without me. You said so yourself, I have hurt you so much already and you deserve so much better than this, Yang." she says looking directly into her eyes even though she still feels small and wrong, "can't you see that? You deserve a better partner. Someone who won't run away instead of facing their struggles."

"And I'm enough of a big girl to make my own decisions when it comes to who I believe I deserve around me or not, kitty cat." Yang says with a soft voice. The voice Blake misses so much and not once thought she would miss this much, "Please don't beat yourself up for unconsciously doing what you do. And if that hurts you, you can work on changing it and if you want me around, I will be. But don't take yourself out of the 'good guys' list just because you've been hurt before and don't know how to act around people. I'm not saying you should stick around with me as if we're joined at the hip or anything like that. If you need space, you have it; if you need silence, you have it; if you want me to leave you alone, I'll do that. And if you want me to go away, all you have to do is say so. But I'm your partner and I'm here for you. So if you feel like you need someone, you have me, but not only me. You also have Ruby and Weiss. And I really hope we still have Velvet and Coco as well." Yang softly raises her head a bit more and leans in so she can place a light kiss on Blake's forehead, "I'm here for you and it doesn't matter how much I can read your actions and body language, I still can't read your mind. So talk to me, ok? Don't assume I'm not gonna understand or that it's too much or that I'll judge you, because I won't. I'll listen to you and if you want me to try and help you in some way, I'll do whatever I can to do it. As for the reason why you are so scared," she said with a knowing smile on her lips, "you don't need to force yourself into understanding, nor you need to beat yourself up for it. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere and I'm not forcing you to say anything either. I just want to understand."

"I really don't know how to do this." Blake whispers.

"This what?"

"Whatever  _ this _ is. I – I've never had someone standing by me just because of me and not expecting something in return. I grew up judging people by what value they would have to me or to my ideals, never for who they were or how they acted towards me. I've always lived in war mode. I don't know how to shut it off."

"Well, if I'm being honest, we're not exactly in times of peace now, but alas, no one expects you to act one way or another, Blake. I know  _ I _ don't. And neither do our friends. You are who you are and the simple fact that you can see you have this  _ war mode _ on is already a huge thing! Like I said, I'm not asking you to change. I would never do that to you. And even though I understand the weight it has on you, all I'm asking is that you trust me. And I know that's not something simple for me to ask, or for you to do and I don't expect you to magically put your fears and memories behind as if we're turning a new leaf because that's not how things work. And the same goes with me. Even if someone get on their knees in front of me and promise me they won't ever leave, I'll still wait for the very moment they'll do exactly that. This conversation doesn't fix anything, it's just a step in a new direction and I hope you understand that. I hope you understand we have a lot to work on, but I'm willing to do it if you are."

"I am." her voice is firm, certain. But she can't control the blush painting her features when she asks, "can I hug you again?" and she will brace any level of embarrassment in the world if it means she gets to see Yang smiling like that.

Yang's answer comes in the form of open arms and if Blake liked being hugged by Yang back when they were having that conversation in an empty Beacon classroom, being hugged by Yang while hugging back feels a thousand times better.

Blake's exhausted. Physically, emotionally, psychologically, just completely exhausted, so no one can judge her for the sound she makes when she feels Yang's mechanical fingers scratching behind her cat ears.

"Are you– are you purring?" Yang asks, amused. And that's the moment her mind catches up to her body and the low rumbling immediately stops and she tries to jump out of the warmth of Yang's embrace, but she tightens the hold her left arm has on Blake's shoulders. "Wait! No, I didn't mean it like that!" she laughs lightly "I think it's really cute." and she goes back to scratching the the soft fur on Blake's ears, the purring getting back almost against her wishes "Y'know, ever since I found out you're a cat faunus I wondered if you'd do that. Is that offensive of me to say?" and Blake's exhausted, so she just shakes her head no, relaxing a bit more in her partner's arms, her purring getting louder the more relaxed she feels. "Come on. I'll take you home so you can get some rest. Are we far?"

"Mmmm, a little bit. I ran as much as I could when he showed up."

"Any chance you can give me the directions before you pass out?"

"Go west until we get back to the town. My father is the chieftain, it shouldn't be hard for you to find the right house." she mumbles in Yang's neck.

"So you're basically the heiress to the faunus kingdom? Should I bow to you?"

"Sure. Just not right now. I need you to keep me upright." Yang barks a laugh at that and Blake's not even sure what she said, but she would love to repeat it just to hear it again.

"So  _ that's _ why you wanted to hug me, huh? Come on sleepyhead, let's get you home."

And if Yang says anything after that, she was too busy being asleep to hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to [Fernanda](http://www.ao3.org/users/atstadiumstatus) and [Margolem](http://www.ao3.org/users/ratake) for beta'ing this one and remember, kids: if you hate it, blame them for making me believe this was okay enough for me to post (don't blame them, they're both very lovely).
> 
> Maybe... Let me know what you think? Oh! And I have a bit more written because this thing got the best of me and I lost all my self-control, but I'm not that sure the other part is good enough, so let me know if you want me to post it?
> 
> Anyway, hope you all have a great one!


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There. The end of this quick study of these characters I love so goddamn much.

The booming sound of her father's voice is what wakes her.

 

"Blake?! What happened? Is she alright? And who are you?!"

 

"Sir, please, calm down. She's alright! She's just sleeping." Blake hears the tiredness in Yang's voice. And it's not like it surprises her, considering she literally carried Blake home after fighting her biggest fear, so she touches Yang's shoulder to let her know she's awake.

 

"Hey, it's alright," she says, her voice rough with sleep and she has to clear her throat before trying again, "put me down, please."

 

Yang does what she asks and puts her down as carefully as she can without losing her own balance. As soon as her feet are safely on the ground, Ghira immediately pulls her to his body, hugging her tight to his chest, his armor cold on her face.

 

"I'm ok, dad. It's alright." she tries to calm him down and he releases her after a moment when his wife comes to the door. 

 

"Honey? What's with the yelling? What's going on? Oh, Blake!! There you are, I was so worried! You disappeared on us!" Kali engulfs her in a hug much like the one she gave her when she first got to Menagerie.

 

"It's alright, mom. I'm ok. Sorry I got you worried, but I really think we should get inside, Yang carried me for quite some time, I'm sure she's gonna pass out any minute if she has to stay on her feet any longer."

 

"Oh, goodness, I'm sorry! Please, come in, take a seat, I'll get us some tea. Would you like anything, Ms. Xiao Long?"

 

"Oh, um, just a glass of water, if that's not too much trouble, please."

 

"Not at all, dear. Come on, take a seat, I'll be right back."

 

Yang all but drops herself on the couch, "don't take this the wrong way, Blake, but after the second mile you got a lot heavier than I expected you to be."

 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

 

"No worries, just, next time you decide to pass out on me, do it closer to home." and the way she says it makes it clear that she was just poking fun at her. "Thank you, Mrs. Belladonna." she says when Kali gets back with a jar of ice water, a tea pot, cup and sugar on a tray and hands Yang a glass of water she all but downs in one gulp.

 

Ghira waits while his wife gets all their tea cups ready as well as getting Yang a refill, which she's now taking small sips before dealing with the matter at hand.

 

"Thank you, dear. Now that we're all seated and a lot calmer, care to share what happened, Blake?"

 

She takes a deep breath and gives him a very censored version of the facts, leaving out everything she believes would worry her father or cause him to go after the White Fang members right this second.

 

"So the White Fang really  _ is _ corrupt, then. There were some interesting information on that scroll you brought home the other day. And what happened to Corsac and Fennec?" he asks in a controlled voice. So controlled, that Blake knows he's trying to get his temper in check and trying to work the facts before taking any decision. She's proud of him for it. He's a great leader and a very wise man. She's proud of being his daughter.

 

"I'm not sure, to be honest. But considering I'm here, I believe they won't be showing in our doorstep anytime soon."

 

"And Adam Taurus?" even though the name makes her stiff, she's glad her father chose to ask this question with a careful tone.

 

"If I know him as much as I believe I do, I'd say he's probably somewhere safe getting ready to leave as soon as he can. He wouldn't take the risk of me telling you what happened so you could have the whole town going after him or the White Fang."

 

"I'll have my best men discreetly sweep the island either way. I don't wanna take the chance that he's still around. And although I would very much enjoy hunting him down myself, I think that would cause much more trouble than anything, considering what happened in Vale and how things are in Remnant right now. We can't take the risk of causing any panic and triggering grimm attacks." he sighs tiredly before finishing, "this next council meeting will be a huge pain in my ass. Pardon my language, Ms. Xiao Long."

 

"No worries, sir."

 

"Well, I'll worry about that problem later. Now can you tell me why you came here, Ms. Xiao Long?" he asks Yang, expression carefully blank. Blake recognizes it immediately. He's deciding whether or not to trust her. Before answering, Yang looks at Blake, the silent message perfectly clear to her.

 

"General Ironwood came to Patch, sir."

 

"Ironwood? But how? He's  supposed to be in Atlas and the air traffic is stopped unless it's evacuation routes."

 

"Well, yeah. Ironwood knows a few... unconventional routes. So he came to Patch bringing an unexpected visitor."

 

"Weiss is with Ironwood as well?" Blake asks, not even sure why she's surprised by that.

 

"Yep. And Ironwood may know ways to leave Atlas, but he can't do that with an army, so it was just the two of them. Weiss' father was keeping her prisoner. She wasn't allowed to leave the mansion or talk to the press or even appear in any social event the Schnee Dust Company holds because he stripped her from her position as heiress. It's funny, though. A few days after I find out Weiss is no longer royalty, I find out that you are." she says with a chuckle and a wink, but her tone is serious again when she continues, "she broke out and went to Ironwood so he could help her get to Ruby. She may not have her title as heiress anymore, but she's still pretty convincing when she wants to be. Not that I needed much convincing, though, Ruby is my baby sister and I have left her alone for far too long now. I'm done feeling sorry for myself and my team needs me." Blake notices how she distractedly massages her right bicep, close to where the metal arm is attached to it. She wonders if Yang even realizes she's doing it. "Considering Vale and Vacuo have their eye out for Mistral and Atlas, seeing as they were allies during the Great War, they're not guarding their own territory as much as they should, so we're taking the long route to Haven, where Ruby and the remainders of team JNPR were headed to. When we got to Menagerie, we had to make a stop to change airships to make the last of the trip. Ironwood can't continue with us, he's too high profile, people in Mistral would recognize him and that could break a war, given how high the tensions are right now."

 

"Well, I'm glad you managed to come here, seeing as it saved my daughter's life, but I'm not exactly happy to know my territory has blind spots in air security." Ghira complains and Yang winces and yeah, Blake thinks she may have said a bit too much there.

 

"Yeah... I can give you the exact location, if you want?" she gives him a guilty smile that warms Blake's heart. She missed her partner too much. "Anyway. Weiss and I were working on getting her some non-Atlas clothes so she too wouldn't be so high profile when I heard a few suspicious conversation about the White Fang, but couldn't really figure out what they were saying. I brushed it off as maybe my mind playing tricks on me or something, as that's kind of a sore spot to me," and again she massages her bicep. Blake wonders if she does it because of the memory of what happened or if the arm is bothering her. "our ship leaves in two days and I couldn't get that conversation out of my mind so I decided to investigate a bit and that's when I heard that Adam was in town. And maybe I was just a bit paranoid at the time, but something told me that if he was here, then so would Blake. I told Weiss about it and she told me I was probably overreacting, but if that was worrying me so much I should do something just to get it out of my mind. We didn't want to take the risk of her walking around so I came alone and, as luck would have it, found them just in time to play the hero."

 

"And now that you found my daughter you're gonna have her join you and your teammate in this suicide mission." Ghira says matter-of-factly.

 

"With all due respect, sir, my sister's in there. I have no idea whether or not she and my friends are still alive. I'll go to Haven whether your daughter  _ chooses  _ to go with me or not. We have lost too much already, I won't just watch the rest of what I have get lost too. And that's what this is about. I won't have her join us if she doesn't want to and I would much rather have this conversation with her directly because this is a personal decision she has to make and neither I nor you should be trying to push her to decide on one thing or the other." Yang says with fire in her eyes – even if they're still very much lilac – and her tone is firm, but not disrespectful. As much as Blake is proud of her father for his position when it comes to the White Fang, she's also so proud of Yang for holding her own against him. Blake also doesn't miss the flash of surprise and respect in her father's eyes when taking her partner's words head on.

 

"Very well, Ms. Xiao Long. And I apologize. I didn't mean to belittle your fight or your worry with your family, I'm just worried about mine," he looks at Blake quickly before focusing back on Yang, "you are right. This is Blake's decision to make, but I just got her back after years of not hearing a single thing about her, so, please, don't think it's easy for me to listen to what you have said." something flashes in Yang's eyes, something that seemed too much like resentment, but it's gone before Blake has the chance to make sense of it, "I'll have someone retrieve Ms. Schnee so you both can spend the night here before you have to go. I'm sure she would much prefer to sleep here instead of a shady inn in the east coast. I'll leave you two to your conversation. If you need me, I'll be in my study." he gets up from the couch, everyone else following his actions immediately, "before I go, however, I would like to thank you, Ms. Xiao Long," and, for the first time since they started talking, his politician mask slips away and he stands there as nothing less than a father, "for saving my daughter's life. For caring. For respecting her decisions and her time. I may not know much about the story you two share, but I can see how much she matters to you, so. Thank you. For everything." he offers his hand for Yang to shake and she does so, her metal hand all but disappearing inside his huge one.

 

"You don't have to thank me, sir. She's my partner. Oh, have your men take this message with them," she quickly records a video on her scroll telling Weiss it was ok to join the guards Ghira would be sending for her and sends it to Ghira's "otherwise she would probably freeze them before they so much as make her suspicious they know who she is."

 

"Will do. Oh, and Blake? Mr. Wukong is stable and no longer at immediate risk, but his condition is still delicate. He's sleeping now, there's a healer with him at all times." with that, he leaves the room.

 

"Well, it was lovely meeting you, Ms. Xiao Long. I hope we can have a chance to talk a bit before you have to leave. There's just so much I wanna ask you!" the way Kali says it makes a shiver run down Blake's spine. No matter what, she can't let her mother and her partner have a single minute alone.

 

"Please call me Yang, Mrs. Belladonna. And thank you for your hospitality. You really didn't have to. I appreciate it greatly." one of Blake's brow raises when Yang speaks like that and was she ever this charming?

 

"Well, if that's the case, then call me Kali, Yang. Make yourself at home. I'll be getting a room ready for you and Ms. Schnee. Let me know if you need anything else."

 

Kali surprises both Blake and Yang when she hugs her, whispering a thank you before leaving them alone in the room.

 

"You're lucky to have them." Yang's voice is almost small when she says it, that same flash of resentment in her eyes. It's then that it clicks for Blake. Yang doesn't have that. She's sure Taiyang cares deeply about his daughter, but that doesn't change the fact that her mother left without a word and the other mother figure she's got after her died before she could really get used to having someone around.

 

"I know." and Blake feels a pang of guilt at that. She  _ does _ know she's lucky to have parents who love her no matter what she does. She's abandoned them, called them cowards, ran and, as soon as she came back, they had nothing but love to give her. And she came very close to give up on them as well.

 

Yang takes a deep breath, almost as if she's shaking herself from the feelings that have taken over their conversation and once again sits sideways on the couch, her body facing Blake when she too sits again.

 

"So, Sun's here?"

 

Blake sighs exasperatedly, "believe me, it wasn't my choice. He followed me all the way from Vale." this time it's Yang who raises a brow.

 

"It seems like someone has a crush on you."

 

"Yeah? Well, it sucks to be him, then." she's glad for this little distraction before they can handle the conversation they need to have, but she also knows she can't postpone it too much either. But then Yang's massaging her bicep again and maybe it can wait just a little longer, "does your arm hurt?"

 

"What? Why you ask?"

 

"Well, I just realized you've been massaging it every now and then and I don't know," she shrugs, embarrassed.

 

"Oh, right. Um.. Yeah. It's not like it's hurting, per se, it's just that I'm using the arm for a long time now and even if it's really comfortable and all, it starts acting out after a while, but don't worry, it's ok, just ignore it."

 

"Take it off."

 

"I'm sorry?"

 

"If it's making you uncomfortable, take it off. You don't have to keep it on because you're worried it'll freak me out. It won't. I feel like it's my fault and chances are I'll always feel responsible for it, but neither the arm nor the lack of it bothers me, Yang. Are you uncomfortable around these?" she points to the cat ears atop her head and wiggles them just to get her point across – and if part of her believes Yang would enjoy it, she pretends it doesn't exist.

 

"No. No, of course not!"

 

"This is the same thing. Well, not exactly the same thing, there's a lot of differences, but my point is, the metal arm is a new part of you, but the fact that your original arm is not there anymore is also part of you. And that's the only thing that matters to me. If you're uncomfortable with it, take it off and it won't make a difference to me. What matters to me is you being comfortable around me."

 

Yang gives her a grateful smile and quickly takes the mechanic arm off, once again massaging the bicep, relief clear on her features.

 

"Before we start, though, I have to say I'm really sorry the first time you heard what I had to say your parents were present because I know how hard it would affect you to have them during it and that would make you probably worry about them instead of worrying about what  _ you _ want to do."

 

"I appreciate it, but my mind is made. No matter what they have to say about it. My mind was already made from the very moment we talked in the forest." she says firmly, "and you're right. We've lost too much already. It was selfish of me to do what I did, when the world is crumbling around us, but I won't do that anymore. We have friends who need our help and even if it's all for nothing, I'd rather die trying than not making everything I can to make a difference."

 

"Are you sure about it? We're going to war?"

 

"Yes. We're going to war and we're going to help our friends and we're gonna do our best, no matter if it's enough or not."

 

They look at each other, letting their uncertain future wash over them. For the first time in a very long time, Blake is not confused. Not about this. Not about her team or her partner. She wasn't being dramatic when she said she would rather die trying than not doing anything at all. And if she has any say in this, they're not gonna lose anyone else.

 

"Yang, dear," their silent conversation is interrupted by Kali coming back to the room, "I have the room ready for you. Ghira mentioned it will take a few hours for the guards to bring Ms. Schnee home, so you both can get some rest before she arrives. I'll have dinner ready and make sure to wake you both when she does."

 

"Ugh! Sleeping in a bed sounds absolutely awesome right now! I can totally feel the tears of gratitude, but I'm too badass to cry in front of you." Yang says and Blake can't help but find it oddly endearing.

 

Kali chuckles, "well, I wouldn't rule out crying just yet. Wait until you see the bath I have ready for you."

 

"Oh, god! I feel like I might love you!" Yang jumps from the couch and hugs Kali, causing both Belladonna ladies to laugh.

 

"Oh, dear, that's lovely, but I'm very much taken." and Blake's cheeks burn red.

 

"Mom!!"

 

"What? I'm just joking, darling, calm down!" she winks at Blake and, really, what does that even mean?

 

"Don't worry, Kali, she's just jealous that you just became my favorite Belladonna."

 

And Blake wants to hold her smile, but the way her mother and her partner are looking at her makes it impossible.

 

"Ugh, whatever!" she scoffs, "you two enjoy this new love of yours, I'll take a shower and rest before the ice queen gets here and starts forming plans of action and all that stuff she loves so much. See you later!"

 

And she doesn't even try to hide the huge grin on her face when she hears Yang whispering a "see? Jealous!" when she's leaving the room.

 

\---

 

When Weiss gets there, she looks from Blake to Yang and then back to Blake, huffs a final "good!" and goes to take a shower and get back at her comfortable Atlas clothes.

 

Blake wonders when Weiss stopped being the clueless one on the team.

 

\---

 

The next morning finds Blake tossing and turning in her bed just before sunrise, feeling restless. She changes out of her pyjamas and heads for the kitchen. She's already awake, better make herself some breakfast.

 

She stops dead on her track when she hears her father's voice, a lot warmer than yesterday.

 

"I didn't peg you for a tea kind of girl." Blake peaks out the corner of the living room, finding her father and Yang comfortably sitting on the couch, metal arm still off, cup on her left hand.

 

"Well, when your partner is an avid tea drinker you tend to get yourself having a cup or several during the many hours you spend 'studying', as she likes to call it. I much prefer calling it as it is: 'getting bored out of your mind'." Yang replies with a wink. And Blake's not sure if Yang is actively trying to charm her father or if she's just that charming naturally, but she knows her father's bullshit-detector works perfectly and she can see it in his eyes: he really likes Yang. And she's not at all ready for the wave of warmth she feels in her chest.

 

"So it seems like I have mistaken the blondes." the thing with being part cat is that she has great hearing, but the thing with her mother also being part cat is that she is as silent as it gets. Blake jumps when she hears her mother's voice so close to her and scowls at her – cat ears flattening atop her head – when she giggles at her reaction. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak on you, but you were so focused on watching them that, in my defense, I'm sure you wouldn't have heard me either way" and Blake's scowl deepens.

 

"I have no idea what you're talking about. On either case" but the pink on her cheeks betray her almost as much as her cat ears do. She knows the only reason she even tries to deny anything is because of her pride.

 

"Of course you don't, dear." Kali says, giving her knowing pat on the shoulder. She then focus on her husband instead of her daughter's... someone. "He really likes her."

 

"Yeah." Blake's voice getting a lot softer than Kali has probably ever heard.

 

"I do, too. She's absolutely wonderful. And oddly funny." that gets a light chuckle from Blake.

 

"Yeah. Yeah, she is."

  
And Yang's right. They still have their problems and their struggles and so much to work on, and tomorrow, they're taking a ship to go to the rest of their team so they can finally make a difference to this world and things will get messed up and confusing and  _ so _ dangerous, but she can't help but feel like she's finally found the path she wants to follow and even if part of her is scared of how the real world is gonna treat them all, she's also excited to be back together with her partner and soon her team. She's excited to fight for what she believes in and, when her eyes meet Yang's, she can't even pretend she's not excited for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for taking the time to read me babble for pretty much 10k words, hope you had fun! Have a great day, guys. And to those in the US: stay strong. To those in Brazil: Fora, Temer!!
> 
> Love you all


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's very short, I know, but I felt bad for ending it without them being together so here it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, the first part of Armed and Ready is about Bumbleby and do you know **who** can convince me otherwise?? NOT EVEN JEFF AND CASEY WILLIAMS

Ren and Nora had just had their auras broken when they finally got to Kuroyuri and Blake couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, Yang had a secondary semblance of perfect timing. First in Beacon, then in Menagerie and then in Kuroyuri.

 

Ruby's relief at having her team back was so obvious that she immediately got back at her best form and, fighting alongside Weiss and her summon – a Nevermore, which probably meant she had been thinking about that first time teams RWBY and JNPR had fought together – to defeat several of the most bizarre and scary creatures of grimm they had found yet.

 

The thing about fighting such a powerful grimm as the Nuckelavee was that it was never alone. Its negative energy was so abundant that other grimm didn't have much choice other than joining it on its mission to slay humans.

 

And the thing about fighting so many of them together was that Blake wasn't ready. Or maybe she wasn't ready to see her partner surrounded by grimm. Or maybe she simply wasn't ready to deal with her own fears, because she couldn't focus on what was going on around herself, worried about Yang getting hurt and not being able to help her.

 

So even  _ if _ Yang had that particularly perfect timing, she herself didn't. And having had her own aura broken few minutes back, she had no protection when a couple of Beowulf attacked her, only Yang's shouted warning saving her from a much worse fate than only losing part of her left cat ear.

 

\---

 

So things are... A much bigger mess than they had previously thought. Maidens, relics, an evil team looking for power and reincarnation? Not only that, but they also have the problem of having the White Fang plotting on taking over the world and making humans pay for how they treated – and still treat – faunus. So no one can blame Blake for taking a moment to catch her breath and enjoy the beautiful view of the city of Mistral at night.

 

"Does it hurt?" and, really, she's happy to know that, even if one of her ears isn't whole anymore, her hearing is still as good. Because she would never have heard Yang otherwise.

 

"Not really. The medics did a pretty good job on it. And my aura is pretty much back now." she replies with a shrug, not taking her eyes from the view ahead of her.

 

"Good. Do you want some time alone or can I join you?" and she knows they need to talk. She does, but the thought of getting scolded for her actions isn't the most pleasant thing she has planned for her night. On the other hand, though, she can't even find in her the strength to pretend she doesn't want Yang there with her. So she scoots over to the side, making space for her partner to join her on the ground.

 

They sit side-by-side in a comfortable silence, watching the landscape on this chilly night, enjoying the faraway sounds of a festival going on down the mountain, in the city's heart. And even if Blake doesn't realize she's hugging herself, running her hands up and down her arms to gather heat, Yang does.

 

"Lean forward a bit."

 

"Huh?"

 

"You're cold, let me sit behind you, I'm a very warm person" and although it's clear to anyone who looks at her how much she enjoys the smirk on Yang's lips, she'll never admit to that.

 

Rolling her eyes just because, she gives Yang the space she needs to take a seat behind her, immediately turning her body so that her right human ear touches her partner's shoulder and yeah, Yang _is_ pretty warm; and, yeah, she still can't get over the fact that her head _does_ fit perfectly nested in the curve where Yang's shoulder and neck meet.

 

And the thing about being part cat is that sometimes it just gets the best of you. Like right now, when Blake can't help but purr softly.

 

"Comfy?" Yang asks with a chuckle.

 

"Shut up."

 

She's almost asleep a few minutes later in the warmth of Yang's arms when her partner's heavy sigh brings her back to reality, "you shouldn't do stuff like that, y'know?"

 

"Stuff like what?"

 

"You know. Trying to protect me forgetting about yourself in the process."

 

"How is this any different than what you did? Why is me protecting you not ok when you protecting me is?"

 

"It's not different and that's my point," Yang says calmly, "what I did was reckless," Blake, then, looks away, not exactly sure how to feel, "hey, look at me." Yang touches her chin softly, turning her head back at her so they can look at each other's eyes once again. She doesn't force Blake, letting her choose what to do. Blake looks back at her, eyes carefully blank, "what I did was reckless, but don't get me wrong, I don't regret doing it at all.

 

"But the point is," she continues with another sigh "I didn't think before acting. I saw red, I lost control. I was scared he was going to hurt you even more than he'd already done and I exploded. I  _ don't  _ regret, it, Blake," she leans in and touches Blake's forehead with her own, eyes closed, taking a deep breath, before leaning back and continuing, "but it wasn't the brightest thing to do either. What you did today wasn't simply protecting me and we both know it. You're scared I'll get hurt again and I understand that, I really do. I'm constantly worried about you getting hurt as well, but you need to trust me like we did back then. And, most importantly, you need to take care of yourself! We  _ both _ do. You don't need to prove anything to me. You don't owe me anything, Blake. You don't have to put yourself in danger just because I did that before" she cups her partner's cheek on her mechanic hand, softly rubbing her thumb on the skin there, calming Blake's heart and mind. "You don't need to show me you're there for me. I  _ know _ that you are. And I'm there for you as well.

 

"We're partners, Blake. We fight together and not  _ for _ the other. It took me awhile to understand that how I acted back then was reckless and it would have ended with both of us dead if you hadn't saved us," she takes a moment to recompose herself, clearly not enjoying the fact that, once again, both herself and someone she cares deeply for could have ended dead because of her actions. Blake puts a hand on the fabric covering her right arm, half of it on the metal underneath it, half of it on skin. "Please don't do that again. Don't let your guard down because you're focused on me. I promise you I'll do the same, ok? We're gonna get back to the stage where we blindly trust the other to protect herself and call out if needed be."

 

"You say I don't owe you anything and part of me believes that, but part of me keeps telling me that you lost a part of yourself  _ because _ of me. I was raised in under the mindset of 'an eye for an eye'" she says, amber and lilac locked together. And then, much lower, "that's hard to get out of."

 

Yang smiles softly at that pulling her just a little bit closer to her chest. To her warmth.

 

"Yeah, I know how that feels. But let's try to get better at that. Together, alright?"

 

"Alright. Together."

 

She's not sure why she thought a conversation with Yang would be a terrible experience. Maybe she's not yet used to the surprisingly calm way Yang seems to act around her. Which, quite frankly, is weird, because Yang has always been that way with her. Sarcastic? Yes. Brass? Absolutely. Openly flirty? No doubt about it. But also calm, soft, caring.

 

And she can't help but feeling like she doesn't want to be anywhere other than in her arms.

 

For the first time in forever, that particular thought doesn't scare her as much as it used to.

 

"Wanna go inside?" Yang asks her, her voice low, eyes shining with something Blake can't exactly name, but she feels like Yang herself doesn't really want this moment to end just yet either.

 

"We can do that. Or... We can stay here a little longer." and then she presents Yang with a smirk of her own "I mean, I'm pretty comfy here."

 

Yang chuckles and, yeah, she's pretty warm. And not just physically, because she's sure her insides are just as heated as her outside and it's all because of the girl holding her so closely.

 

"Sure thing, Kitten. Whatever you want."

 

When Yang kisses her forehead, she makes a decision, "whatever I want?" she asks, her voice low, amber eyes burning with something she never thought she would really feel. Yang keeps their eyes locked for a moment or two, looking for something Blake's not exactly sure what might be.

 

Either she finds it or not, because she whispers back, her eyes travelling to Blake's lips for a moment so quick that if hers weren't locked on lilac, she would probably have missed it, but seeing as she  _ does _ see it, she subconsciously licks her lips, "whatever you want".

 

As much as Yang's voice is soft and calm, it's  _ so sure _ that it only spurs her on, giving her the last confidence boost she needs.

 

\---

 

She'd always thought that a first kiss with someone you really like would be this intense exciting thing with fireworks behind your eyelids and buzzing in your ears, but it's nothing like that. If Blake had to explain it, she would probably say it's like taking a hot shower after an exhausting day. It's peaceful, light, calming. It's like breathing for the first time after being underwater for a long time.

  
If Blake has to explain how it feels to kiss Yang, she'll tell you it feels like coming home. Only better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed it and hit me up in the comments! :)
> 
> Either way, I hope you have a great weekend and see you guys around! Stay awesome and be kind


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